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A Traitor Among Us (Synopsis)
Nara Burns is being plagued by a recurring nightmare about her home planet of Venus. She see it subdued by the Neo sapiens, then imagines herself running to warn her family, but is always unable to get to their home before it is destroyed. Outside Phaeton City, Alec is picking a lock on a Neo sapien transmission complex. While Marsh asks what's taking so long (the lock is a new design, Alec explains), a Neo guard approaches them from behind. Marsala quietly forces him into unconsciousness, then breaks his gun over his knee. Alec finally gets it open, and after they have been inside a short time, an alarm goes off. They break into the communications room, knocking out the one Neo in the process. While Marsala guards the door, DeLeon contacts the Resolute. Marsh then sends a message informing Winfield that the GRAF shield on Earth is operational, and that another on Venus is about to go on-line. Just then the transmission is cut off. As guards block their exit Marsh exclaims, "That's the only door to this room!" There is an explosion behind him and he turns to see DeLeon at a gaping hole in the wall saying, "Not anymore." Marsh urges Marsala to hurry, but Marsala first swings a large piece of equipment in the doorway, hitting a guard in the process. Marsh is thoroughly impressed. Winfield receives the message, and it disturbs him. With energy fields protecting their planets, the Neo sapien fleets would be free to go on the offensive and hunt down the ExoFleet. He knows his own fleet is currently incapable of launching an assault on a planet. When he asks which exosquads are prepared so that he can send one on a recon mission to Venus, Nara Burns is already there to volunteer Able Squad. Winfield gives her the mission, and she is happy and thanks him. In the sewers beneath Phaeton City Jinx Madison and J.T. Marsh argue about what to do with Xenobius, the Neo scientist captured in the previous episode. Jinx wants to trade him for Napier, who was captured in the operation that got them Xenobius. Marsh wants to use Xenobius to infiltrate GRAF installations so that they can be destroyed. When Marsala speaks his mind, saying that the importance of Napier pales in comparison to the ability to disable the GRAF shields, Jinx gets extremely upset with him. Jinx tries to punch him, put Marsala effortlessly grabs his wrist. As Jinx struggles, Marsala simply says, "I recommend that you calm down." and lifts him off the ground when Jinx tries to hit him with his free hand. Diana takes this opportunity to free Xenobius, who makes his escape. Once let go, Jinx notices that Xenobius is gone. Realizing that their arguing is what let him escape, they decide to work together. Marsh says they will retrieve Napier, as long as the resistance notifies other resistance cells to find GRAF shield installations. Jinx eagerly agrees and the resistance members run off. Marsh lets DeLeon and Marsala in on his plan to get to Venus (the current location of the shield's true inventor) by having the Neos send them there. From the Interrogation Center in Phaeton City we hear Napier's cries of pain. The Neo conducting Napier's inquiry tells Shiva that no Terran has ever withstood such a level, and that he must truly know nothing of the Resistance. An annoyed Shiva then has him sent to deportation. A brief scene shows the Terran prisoners. They are in poor shape and react to the guards with fear. Outside Tanaka disables the electric fence at the perimeter of the complex, in the control room the technician simply waits for the defense program to reactivate it. Marsh, DeLeon, Madison, Hanley, and Diana are in their e-frames on a hill overlooking the prison. While they wait Jinx asks where Marsala is, but Marsh just tells him to concentrate on his own task. Once the electric fence goes down for good, they attack the prison. They take out the guard tower as they make their way to the holding area. Napier realizes it is the resistance, and is about to inspire his fellow prisoners when a Neo guard knocks him down. Marsh and DeLeon blast their way in and skirmish with the guards. Napier attacks one of the guards. Outside the resistance members are busy dealing with the Neo e-frames, and doing quite well. Napier gets in Marsh's e-frame and leaves. Marsh and DeLeon both remove their armor and anything that identifies them as ExoFleet personnel. DeLeon starts an electrical fire in his frame that destroys it, and their uniforms. Marsh tells DeLeon to lay low and look harmless. Napier rendezvous with his fellow resistance fighters and they leave. When Napier asks about Marsh and DeLeon, Jinx tells him they had other plans and to not wait up. Tanaka sets a detonator that demolishes most of the pursuing Neo e-frames. As the prisoners are being loaded into the shuttle compartments an old couple is split up. Alec quips, "If this is first class I don't want to see economy." and for it he is hit with an electrical charge from a guard who declares talking is forbidden. Diana enters the same compartment as Marsh and DeLeon. DeLeon says he has never understood exile, since he figures putting all the troublemakers in the same spot would be more of a problem. Diana meanwhile approaches a Neo guard who is standing in the shadows. She points out Marsh and DeLeon as ExoFleet officers, and that they are saboteurs who must be stopped. When there is no reaction from the guard she asks, "Well aren't you going to do something?" the guard turns and comes out of the shadows, revealing himself. It is Marsala, and he responds menacingly, "If you insist." Shocked, Diana gasps, "You are Marsala! How..." as Marsala clamps his hand over her mouth to silence her. He simply tells her, "Like you I am a stowaway. The uniform was... acquired. This way please." He takes her to Marsh and DeLeon. Marsh is simply glad Marsala made it aboard, but DeLeon is enraged by being in the presence of a collaborator. When Diana asks what the intend to do with her, DeLeon says, "Perhaps we should ask Noretti." Marsh, though also angry, is content to wait until they arrive on Venus to make a decision. An ExoFleet troop carrier arrives in Venus orbit to drop off Able Squad for their recon mission. Bronski is using a communications e-frame similar to DeLeon (so that the information they gather can be transmitted to the fleet) and he is daunted by the many buttons and flashing lights he needs to operate. The cyberlink causes an interesting conversation, since the computer is forced to tell him, "Indecipherable thought command. Please reformulate." Bronski says "Reformulate this, you useless slag pile." as he sends another thought through the cyberlink. The computer responds, "You mental imaging represents an impossibility operator Bronski." As Bronski tells the computer to shut up Torres takes the squad out. A guard station on Venus picks up five e-frames. The images acquired by Able Squad are being transmitted to the main viewscreen on the bridge of the Resolute. Winfield expresses hope that they will be able to use this data to determine where the shield is being built. One of the images appears on the screen upside down, and Winfield asks as if to make sure he isn't seeing things. Back on Venus Bronski asks his teammates to slow down the rate at which they are sending him data. After Torres tells Bronski and Takagi to can the chatter she says that they can now return to the troop carrier, when they are attacked by three Neo frames. Takagi and Burns are able to take out one. Weston damages another. Takagi finishes off one of the remaining two, while the third escapes. Nara abandons the formation and heads down to the planet's surface. She tells Torres that her frame was damaged. Torres wants to help, but Burns orders her to take the squad back. As Nara lands she declares that she is going home. Back on the prison barge Marsh reveals that their mission will be to get Algernon, since as long as the Neos have him they can replace any sabotaged shields. DeLeon notes that they should have entered Venus' gravity by now. They realize that the are not getting taken to Venus after all. The compartments shake and the passengers are thrown about, among them a young mother and her baby. The shuttle that had been towing the compartments separates, and heads off for Venus. DeLeon gets angry with Diana again, wanting her to realize what her Neo friends are truly like. As Diana begins to cry, Marsh asks DeLeon where Marsala is. Having jettisoned their cargo, the shuttle pilots prepare to land. One remarks to the other, "One more sacrifice to the sun god?" while the other adds, "More garbage to the incinerator." They also comment on how exile is not logical, and they ridicule the foolishness of Terrans who also believe in the Tooth Fairy, etc. The prison compartments are shown heading for the sun, the luminosity of which is causing the passengers to shield their eyes. The episode ends with Marsh asking DeLeon, "Any bright ideas?" Credit goes ot: Patrick Danner's ExoSquad page. 07